These delicious tacos from Mexican Everyday are filled with a mixture of caramelized onions and sauteed green chard — definitely a departure from the norm for us! When we make tacos at home, we’re more likely to fill them with mahi-mahi or shredded chicken. We picked this recipe because it’s Vegetarian Week here at We [Heart] Food, but these were good enough that they’re likely to make an appearance in the usual rotation.

Chris says:

Is it just me, or is CSA box day almost like Christmas?

Lisa says:

Sorta… though do you usually eat your Christmas presents?

Chris says:

Oh. Not really. Okay, so it’s not like Christmas, but it’s still exciting.

Lisa says:

I agree — so the veggies in these tacos came from the box?

Chris says:

Yep! I’m glad I found this recipe; tacos aren’t the first thing I think of when I see chard… but these turned out really well. The chard has that slight earthy taste that combines nicely with the slight sweetness of the caramelized onions.

Lisa says:

Glad we’re having rice and beans with them, or I’d still be hungry.

Chris says:

Same here… oh yum, I forgot how much I like that tomatillo salsa.

Lisa says:

Is it spicy?

Chris says:

This batch not as much; I didn’t add as much of the adobo sauce from the chipotles.

Cut chard crosswise into 1/2″ slices. In a very large (12-inch) skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown but still crunchy, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and stir for a few seconds, until aromatic, then add water, 1/2 tsp salt and the chard. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover pan, and cook until chard is almost tender, about 5 minutes. Uncover pan, increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring continually, until mixture is nearly dry. Taste and season with additional salt if necessary. Serve in warm tortillas, topped with cheese, cilantro, and salsa.

Tonight’s Vegetarian Week feature comes from the Washington Local and Seasonal Cookbook: tempeh, broccoli, and peppers are quickly stir fried with a sesame-soy marinade and served over a bowl of brown rice. This recipe is really quick to make — the longest part will be waiting for your rice to cook, so get that going right away.

Lisa says:

I heart stir-frys. And it looks like you didn’t sneak any chicken broth this time.

Chris says:

Totally vegetarian, this one. How do you like the tempeh?

Lisa says:

It’s certainly better than seitan… I didn’t like that stuff at all. I think I like tofu the best though…hey, this tempeh has more calories!!!

Chris says:

You’re not going to have a tempeh tantrum, are you? It might have more calories, but it’s also less processed than tofu.

In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, mirin, miso, sesame oil, and cornstarch. Whisk until well blended and set aside. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ginger, garlic, and lemongrass and saute for 1 minute or until it just starts to brown. Add the tempeh and saute for 2 minutes, then add teh broccoli, peppers, and snow peas and saute for an additional 2 minutes. Add the reserved marinade and cook for 1 minute, until sauce thickens a bit. Remove from the heat and stir in green onions, sesame seeds, and salt. Serve over rice.

Vegetarian Week continues here at We [Heart] Food, with this recipe (okay, it uses chicken stock, but you could replace with vegetable stock) from Fitness Food. Nothing too fancy here, just a huge plate of roasted vegetables over a bed of couscous and chickpeas.

Lisa says:

Waaahoooo!

Chris says:

I know, this is like your dream dinner!

Lisa says:

It’s true! It’s like a really good version of what I make at lunch at work.

Chris says:

Super simple, and you can do it in stages… while the first set of veggies is in the oven you can start cutting up the next set.

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and place the sweet potato and eggplant on the trays. Spray with the oil, add the rosemary, and toss to coat. Arrange in a single layer and bake for 15 minutes. Add in the zucchini, red bell pepper, and onion. Spray again with the oil spray and continue to bake an additional 15 minutes. Add the tomato wedges, drizzle with the vinegar, and bake for a final 15 minutes, or until all of the vegetables are tender. Meanwhile, heat the stock in a saucepan to boiling. Remove from the heat and stir in the couscous. Cover and set aside for 3 minutes, then return to a low heat and fluff with a fork for 2-3 minutes to separate. Add the chickpeas and most of the herbs. Serve the vegetables on warm couscous. Garnish with extra herbs.

We decided that after a meat-heavy couple of months, it was time for a week’s worth of vegetarian meals. So we started off with tonight’s soup, adapted from a recipe in Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook. This recipe is chock full o’ shrooms, makes the house smell fantastic, and best of all, is extremely easy to make. Most of the time goes toward simmering the soup until the rice is cooked through. Definitely recommended for you mushroom lovers out there.

Lisa says:

I heart mushrooms!

Chris says:

Especially in this soup; this is great!

Lisa says:

I like that we got to use the porcini oil that Cathy and Chris got us, and the porcini salt!

Place the dried porcinis in a bowl and cover with the boiling water. Cover the bowl with a plate and set aside. Preheat a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the oil and saute the onions for 3 minutes. Add the garlic, herbs, salt, and pepper and cook for 10 minutes, until the onions are browned. Add the sliced creminis and saute for about 3 minutes. Remove the porcinis from the bowl with a fork, slice thinly, and add to the pot, along with the soaking liquid. Add the wild rice and vegetable stock. Cover and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes. When the rice is tender, grate the carrot into the soup, turn off the heat, and let sit for 10 minutes. Add more broth if the soup seems too thick. Ladle into bowls and serve.

Lisa’s first attempt at making ice cream with her new toy worked out really well. She made a honey vanilla-bean ice cream that made us all very happy. This recipe came from… well, the manual for the ice cream maker.

Chris S. says:

I scream…

Cathy says:

You scream…

Chris says:

We all scream…

Lisa says:

…for ice cream!

(Okay, we really didn’t say that, but this is a week later and I can’t remember what was said, other than…)

Heat the cream, soy milk, vanilla bean, and honey in a heavy-bottomed sauce pan, stirring occasionally until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is hot. Place the egg yolks in a bowl and whisk briefly. Still whisking, slowly pour in about 1/2 cup of the hot liquid. When the mixture is smooth, slowly pour it back into the saucepan, whisking constantly. Cook over medium heat, whisking, until the mixture thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon, about 6 minutes. Scrape the seeds from the beans into the base. Strain into a bowl and cool.